I had a great holiday and I hope you did too! Now real life sets in again and if nothing else does, the holiday bills and January credit card statements will sober us up real quick!

Continuing along the theme of last week’s blog, let’s talk a little more about 2013 resolutions for good financial health. A lot of it really all comes down to preparing for a rainy day and controlling spending impulses.

A good rule of thumb for a rainy day fund is to have cash equal to three to four times your monthly living expenses. Put money into this account every month so there will be enough to cover unexpected major repairs, medical emergencies, and even a temporary loss of income. Did I mention this could also help you fulfill your New Year’s resolution of sleeping better at night?

If you need to use credit cards to cover normal monthly expenses…well just stop that! Easier said than done I know, but break this cycle now and pick one expense you will do without. In two weeks add another. Keep going until your monthly budget is balanced.

Automate your finances when possible. It’s easy to set up automatic deposits to build your rainy day fund, college fund, or retirement program. On the other side, set up auto payments for utilities from your checking account (be sure to keep track of them) so you can avoid late fees and save a stamp (hey, it all adds up!).

Most important, write a budget and monitor it throughout the month. The more detailed the better so that you can easily identify cost cutting opportunities and track your victories!

Business is personal. And it impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives. From keeping a household budget to planning for retirement, to getting (and keeping) a job or just putting up with annoying guy in the next cubicle — we've got a lot on our minds, and Personal Interest wants to help you sort it all out. We're bringing together the Denver Post $mart Editor with variety of experts from the local business community. We've asked them to offer tips, advice and general observations aimed at making the business of everyday life a bit easier to manager. Note: The bloggers were selected for their expertise, but their opinions are solely their own. While many operate their own businesses or consulting firms, we are not endorsing or advocating their businesses.